Time's Loyal Servant
by Roxius
Summary: In the early days of Xcution, Giriko demonstrates his power to devise contracts with the 'God of Time' to a curious Riruka for the first time. Another Fullbringer fic. Please R & R!


Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

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><p><em>Some time ago, during the early days of Xcution's formation...a pair of figures were standing outside of a large, assumed-to-be-empty warehouse, yet there was clearly some kind of bright light shining from inside...<br>_

"Ridiculous! It's totally ridiculous! It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my entire life, and I haven't even been around for that long yet!"

Giriko Kutsuzawa's only remaining eye cast an apathetic glance in the direction of the young woman standing beside him. "...Problem?"

"You know what I'm talking about, you old geezer! There's no way...there's no way you can actually kill someone without even touching them! That's way too powerful!"

"Ms. Dokugamine, I know that we have not known each other for very long yet, but I assure you, there have been no lies to come out of these lips since our first meeting."

Riruka rolled her eyes. "You really do make your old age obvious when you talk like that," she looked away for a moment, sighed, and then turned back, yelling again, "I just find it hard to believe that you have such a power! The rest of us all have some kind of object or something that we need to place our power into, but you can just destroy things by thinking it? It's totally different from the rest of us!"

"On the contrary, my dear." Giriko reached into the pocket on his breast, and unsheathed a small, golden pocket watch. Riruka arched an eyebrow, curious. Giriko snapped open the watch's lid and read the time quietly to himself. It was 6:45 p.m.. Suddenly, without warning, the tiny circle of numbers embedded in the watch flew out of and into the air. Several of them hovered daintily around Giriko's head, forming something like a make-shift halo. Riruka's mouth fell agape.

Giriko couldn't help but feel a little proud that he left the boisterous girl with a loss for words. "Like the rest of you, I too use an object to help me better facilitate my powers, that being this pocket-watch that has been passed down my family for generations. These numbers that I control remotely is just my power in its most simplistic form."

"Let me guess: you use these little numbers as throwing stars or something, right? That's how you kill people without touching them!" Riruka exclaimed as if she had just masterfully deduced the perpetrator of a crime scene. Her overbearing haughtiness and rude personality were almost unbearable for the older man. In a way, she reminded him of his late wife...whom he had killed himself.

Giriko shook his head in response to her 'explanation', however. Sighing loud and long, Riruka reached out and plucked a twirling 6 out of the air. She flipped it over in her hand; it was a rather flimsy little thing. There was probably no way it could do much mortal damage even if all of them were used together. In a way, it was sorta cute. She would had sneaked it into her dress to take home if Giriko hadn't called the numbers back to their source.

"So what now?"

"I shall show you my true capabilities, how I am able to kill without touch, using the Flames of Time..."

"Flames...of time?"

"It is due to my contract with God."

'This guy must be nuts!' Riruka thought to herself. Despite her brashness, she wouldn't dare say that out loud; for all she knew, this weird old man may not even be lying after all.

Giriko began walking towards the front doors of the old warehouse. Although the building, which had once been used for clothing storage, had long been abandoned by the companies, it was now the base of operations for a local gang of about 25 people, most of the members being around high-school or early-college age. The gang hardly did much beyond simple vandalism and theft but they were still seen as a threat to the town's safety. Who knew how long it would be before they began pursuing more violent and dangerous acts. Riruka was also well-aware of this gang, but she stood aside, as she wanted to see just what Giriko was planning to do.

The old, one-eyed man casually pushed the door open, and for a few moments he seemed to be bathed in light. He stepped inside. Riruka went a little closer, but not too close.

"Eh? Who the fuck are you, wandering onto our turf? You some kind of butler?"

Riruka could hear one of the men from inside speaking loudly in that rough, uncivilized voice. A few other voices, all the same in their attempt to sound 'tough' and 'cool', joined in. Giriko remained unfazed and performed a slight bow before he began to explain himself.

"Gentlemen, and the few ladies here as well, my name is Giriko Kutsuzawa. I have come here to perform a test of my powers, and needless to say I require your participation in being able to succeed in giving a fulfilling performance. I hope this isn't any problem for any of you."

"Say what? Are you insane or something?"

"Oh, wait a minute, I think I get it! Are you some kind of magician or something?" inquired one of the scantily-clad women.

"You could say that." Giriko gave a friendly smile in return.

"What do we have to do?"

"Hey, don't encourage this fucker!" snapped a man with a lime-green mohawk, "Let's just kick his ass out! He doesn't belong here!"

Giriko completely ignored any threats that were aimed in his direction. "This magic trick of mine is very simple, do not fret. In fact, you are not required to do anything at all. All that is required...is that none of you attempt to leave this warehouse for the next ten minutes. Of course, you an try, but then the trick will be ruined for everyone."

A hushed silence befell Giriko's crowd. Some of the more sceptical exchanged nervous glances, while others were simply bewildered by the old man's strange words. A bald youth with the kanji for 'war' stamped on his forehead was the most irritated of all. He did not wait three seconds before jumping to his feet, stomping towards Giriko with his fists clenched and his brow furrowed. He looked like he was about ready to snap at any moment. He brought his face so close to Giriko's, it seemed like he was going to tear his face off with his teeth alone.

"...Problem?" Giriko said. He didn't even miss a beat.

"Get out of my way. I'm leaving. I don't give a damn about your stupid magic trick; you've already ruined my buzz just by showing your wrinkly mug. You're pissing me off so bad that I'd kill ya if I could,"

"Then why don't you? It might be safer for you to kill me than to leave this warehouse."

"Goddammit! Move!"

"Very well. But allow me to step outside first, I need to get something that I left outside for the next part of the trick."

"...Whatever..."

Giriko walked out and went past the other Fullbringer without even so much as acknowledging her. He kept his back turned to the warehouse. Riruka had no idea what was going on. Just what in the world was Giriko trying to do? However, the instant that the gang leader's left foot stepped past the doorway and into the dark night, she saw, and she understood.

It was horrifying.

The warehouse, everyone inside of it, including the man who was just leaving, spontaneously burst into a blinding eruption of flames. Riruka jumped back. There were no screams to be heard. Just the sound of crackling fire. Yet, this was not a long-lasting inferno at all. In fact, in a matter of minutes, the warehouse and the corpses inside was reduced to a simple pile of ashes on the ground. It was as if it never even existed in the first place.

Riruka felt sick, but Giriko wore a look of accomplishment. Pale-faced, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye right then.

"I hope that was an adequate demonstration, Ms. Dokugamine. As you witnessed, with my power, I am able to set my own personal 'contracts' on others, and if those laws are broken before the set amount of time is completed, then the area, or people, I had placed the contract on will be devoured by the flames of Time. Not even I can break the contract or I too would suffer consequences. Fortunately, I had set it beforehand, and I made sure to specify that I would not be affected. But those flames...it is truly something to behold, wasn't it?"

"...Yes...it was..."

"Very good! Then I can expect that Mr. Kugo will allow me to join him in his endeavors?"

Riruka bobbed her head.

"I am pleased to hear that. I am looking forward to working with you again, then, Ms. Dokugamine."

Not another single word was spoken again between the two of them for the rest of that long night.


End file.
